2026 Dakar Stage 8 Results – Close As Can Be

The 2026 Dakar Rally is now more than halfway complete. 2026 Dakar Stage 8 was the longest competitive section of the event. Read our Dakar 101 article here if you are still learning about the race. The stage took place in a loop that started at and ended in Wadi ad-Dawasir. The open-road section was 238 km with 483 km of timed section to race over. The long race distance and tough terrain meant that the T1+ cars left the overnight stop with over 500 litres of fuel each.

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Rally organisers described the stage: After a fast start, several chains of dunes will break up the rhythm before the competitors find themselves on sandy tracks leading through spectacular valleys. As they head due north, the tracks will transform into several rocky sections. This alternation of terrains will be more frequent than on the way down and the tracks will be more winding. The last few kilometres will be more open and therefor faster, promising a very fine, comprehensive and varied special.

History Makers

The Dakar Rally is in its 48th year. As a result you would think that just about every ‘first’ that could be accomplished has already been. But that isn’t the case. More history was made at the 2026 event. Brothers Luciano and Kevin Benavides were the first two siblings to ever win in different categories (car and bike) on the same day at the Dakar Rally. This historic achievement was rewarded with a special prize at that evening’s awards ceremony. In addition, Lithuanian driver Vaidotas Zala clinched his first victory in the truck category. As a result he became the first driver to win in both the car category (stage one in 2020) and the truck category on the Dakar. Many have claimed wins in the bike, then car category, but Zala now leads a list of one.

Yo-Yo Effect

Today’s starting, and finishing order would be crucial to the how the remainder of the rally pans out. As always, those who start early tend to lose time to their pursuers who start later in the day. This stems from the simple fact of being more sure of the route once a few vehicles have carved a path, one that you can simply use to validate your own navigation calls. As a result the early starters were left losing time to their rivals. It was also a day to perhaps avoid a stage win so as not to lead the field on stage nine. Stage nine is start of another marathon, which means it’s less advisable to attack without the benefit of overnight assistance between stages nine and ten.

Fast Chargers

Having said all that, these are all racing drivers with an inflated competitive streak. Times were set, then beaten, and so it went through the day. Mattias Ekstrom (Ford) and his teammate Mitch Guthrie were competitive even though they started early due to good finishing positions on the previous stage. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) was making quick progress as he tried to make up for the time he lost on yesterday’s stage due to a late mechanical issue. The South African was making his presence felt at the top of the timesheets.

Click here to read about the herioc comeback of De Mevius’ navigator, Mathieu Baumel.

Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) was lighting up the timesheets through the checkpoints. The extremely fast stage saw the T1+ cars spend much of the stage at full throttle and at their limited top speed of 170 km/h. This meant there was little to choose between them. A mere 21 seconds covered the top six cars after 223 km of racing. The gaps throughout the day were close and stage winner was too close to call. Lategan was looking good but…

Stage Winner

Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing) made a charge from the get-go today and climbed the timesheets at each checkpoint. The young South African took the stage victory from his countryman by a mere three seconds. Lategan was second, resulting in a 1-2 for Toyota and South Africa on the stage. Ekstrom was classified third ahead of Seth Quintero. Al-Attiyah was fifth ahead of former winner Sainz. The top three spots were covered by less than 30 seconds after nearly 500 km of racing.

Lead Retained

Al-Attiyah has retained the lead of the overall race, despite losing 1 min 14 sec today. The Qatari has stated on previous days that he is playing a long game and the five-time winner probably knows a thing or two about how to win this grueling race. Ekstrom stays in second with Lategan pushing Nani Roma down to fourth. Former rally champions Carlos Sainz and Loeb occupy fifth and sixth. There are three different brands in the top three, with Ford holding three of the top five positions so far.